


2 p.m.

by LilyWinters



Category: The Collector Series (Movies)
Genre: BDSM, F/M, Past Abuse, Romance, Smut, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:40:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28905777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyWinters/pseuds/LilyWinters
Summary: Eve Stewart, a delicate librarian, thinks she’s found the perfect gentleman in Dr. Asa Emory, but little does she know she’s wandered right into the spider’s web
Relationships: The Collector (Collector Series)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	2 p.m.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is cowritten by:  
> -@thesightstoshowyou on Tumblr who roleplays as Asa Emory at @dr-asa-emory  
> -@little-lily-w on Tumblr who roleplays as Eve Stewart at @hisbluemonarch

An unpleasant goosebump ran down Eve’s spine. She looked over her shoulder but no one was there. In fact, the people who were in the enormous library were located in other sectors, either working or as reader visitors, with the exception of Julia and Marco who were at her sides focused on more paperwork. She noticed the window some meters behind her and, finding the reason of her shivers in an unforgivable winter day, she walked through the corridor till she reached it and closed it. 

Eve looked around. She was now where the books were located. A whole labyrinth of bookshelves standing as giant towers for her tiny height; more than once she had to use the stairs to reach for what a reader wanted. But she didn’t mind. Especially if it was for him.

Dr. Asa Emory. He always use the two letters before his name and Eve found that very formal, just as the way she liked things. Well, actually she liked more than just one aspect of him, part of the reason why her coworkers were always teasing her when he came to the desk with the card requiring a specific entomology book with his perfectly calligraphic name. But she never paid attention to them. She had done that in the past in regards to Tomas Little and things didn’t turn well, especially when she ended the relationship. 

She looked at the clock in the wall. 2:04. Where was he? Four minutes later for his usual arrival. She pulled down from the bottom of her winterdress and after fixing the blue turtleneck too, she went back to her coworkers no wanting to lose hope. Maybe he was delayed and was going to cross that big entrance door in a minute…

Asa watches the girl through the bookshelves, careful to keep himself hidden. Today, he’d entered the library through the back entrance, intent on stalking and studying. She has yet to notice him, judging by the way she repeatedly glances at the clock.

Obiedent little thing, waiting for him so anxiously.

She harbors a little crush, a fact made obvious by the pink that tinges her cheeks every time he speaks to her. That, and it’s impossible not to overhear the irritating remarks of her coworkers.

Asa moves to another bookshelf, retrieving a random book and pretending to study its cover. She’s delicate, irresistibly so. Asa can’t help but imagine what she’d look like spread out on a gurney, flesh twisted into something beautiful. Maybe wings…. A little butterfly.

He inhales slowly, steadying himself. Soon, perhaps, but not yet. There is still more to be done.

Asa replaces the book then casually strides out into the aisle, feigning interest in his planner. He waits for Eve to notice him. Will she approach? Or is she too timid for that?

Asa imagines fluttering blue wings trapped in a lacy web.

The beautiful black eyes of the librarian shine even more when she notices him. How did he get in? Did she miss him entering when focused on the paperwork? It doesn’t matter now because her mind is entirely focused on his perfectly fixed hair, his broad shoulders, his faked concentration that for her seems so real. 

Eve is so lost in the sight that without realizing, she lets her hand slip over Julia’s water bottle, accidentally dropping the liquid onto her desk. 

“Hey, watch out!”, Julia exclaims.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, so so sorry”, Eve said, worried about messing up with important papers. “Oh my god your notebook!” 

“Shhhh”, a prolonged insistent shushing comes from the readers. 

“No, it’s okay”, Julia whispers to her in an effort to lower her voice. “I can see why you are so flustered. Hey, Marco, you should see this”, she laughs silently with the man. 

“You are not gonna ask him if he needs anything”, Marco asks.

“No, if he needs something, he’ll come and ask”, Eve whispers too. 

“Come on, girl!”. 

Eve looks at both of them and then at Asa seating on one of the large benches. What should she do? At their persistance, she decides to walk to the other side of the desk, advancing nervous as a shaky leaf towards him but in the middle of her path, Eve decides it’s not lady like, it’s going to be obvious, her heart is about to explode… She decides to fake a gesture as if she forgot something and turns around to hurry her way back to the pair.

Watching Eve out of the corner of his eye, Asa suppresses a smirk. Her anxiety is amusing. She’s sweet, traditional. She wants him to come to her.

That thought is enough to light a fire in his gut. Little butterfly. The urge to make her sing under the threat of his knife is growing by the second.

Asa stands, crossing the floor to where Eve has tucked herself safely behind the desk. His approach is silent, her back turned to him so she doesn’t notice he’s there until he’s leaning against the desk and clearing his throat.

“Excuse me, Eve, is it?” Eve fixes him with her dark doe eyes at his question. He continues as though her answer is unimportant, “Would you be able to locate this,” he points to the title of an old entomology book in his planner, “for me?”

That manly sound. Eve’s eyes go wide and in, a brief moment, she exchanges looks with Julia who is chuckling notoriously. With a bright crimson that has attacked her whole cheeks, Eve turns around to face the man and, swallowing at the feeling of heat in her face, she replies: “Um, yes, Eve. Y-yes, o-of course. Usually we have people filling the cards but let me see.”, she smiles big and happily, with a vibrant feminine energy. 

She makes sure to remember the title and walks back to the salon with bookshelves, heart pumping loudly. My god, he remembers my name. She has to inhale deeply to calm herself down and be able to use the stairs. Eve has already studied the whole entomology section just for him, so the location is already in her mind. Section 4, shelf number 8. 

Reaching with her hands, she finds the spine of the book but a sudden tingly feeling in the back of her hand makes her gasp. A domestic little spider is running along her forearm. Luckily for her, insects are not a matter of fear, so she grabs the book and walks down the stairs, lost in the movements of the creature on her skin. 

Once again at the desk, she handles the book to him. “Hopefully this is it”, she smiles tenderly. “I found a little buddy in the way”, she says showing him the spider still at her wrist. 

“Oh my god, just kill it already!”, Julia exclaims, disgusted at the spider and, grabbing one of her papers, she attempts to hit the spider. 

“No!”, Eve says but still managing to keep her voice down. She moves to the side, attempting to protect the animal. 

Lightening fast, Asa’s hand darts out and secures the girl’s wrist before she can bring the paper down on the spider. Brow furrowed, he fixes her with a dark stare and immediately the paper flutters from her fingers. Asa releases her wrist and she backs away, unnerved by the look in his eyes.

Asa ignores her, turning instead to Eve who now cradles the spider in the palm of her hand. Gently, Asa’s fingers brush her own. He urges the little creature onto the back of his hand.

“Parasteatoda tepidariorum. Harmless,” he murmurs, shooting an irritated glance toward the coworker. The house spider skitters across his fingers and he twists his hand to cup the little creature in his palm.

He’s intrigued. Intrigued and endeared. This little butterfly has certainly piqued his interest. The blush staining her cheeks only adds to the appeal.

“I’m impressed,” he continues, making sure Eve meets his gaze before continuing, “Most people wouldn’t treat a spider so kindly.”

Eve watches the situation. Julia is clearly intimidated but she is too focused in the spider to notice the sinister air of Asa’s gaze. When he touched her, though, that was another story. It was a light, feather brush of skins but her heart skipped a beat. Is he impressed?

She looks at him, curiosity and nervousness running along her system. “Wait till you take care of a garden and you see all sort of insects doing their work there. Fascinating, I must say.”, She smiles but then remembers an obvious fact somehow lost for a second while looking at him. “Well, of course you must know that, Dr. Emory.”, She tucks her hair behind the ear. “Should I free it?”

Asa bites back a grin. He’d said he was impressed and now, truly, he means it. There’s so much more than meets the eye with this little butterfly.

“Perhaps a secluded corner of the library? Unfortunately, the weather today isn’t very suitable for arachnids,” he says, motioning to the snow flurries rushing past the windows.

Eve moves to take the spider from him, but he eases his hand out of her reach. There won’t be another opportunity to get her alone like this anytime soon. It’s now or never.

“I’ll follow you,” he states, leaving no room for argument. As Eve leads the way, he continues, “Tell me about your garden.”

As Marco and Julia exchange funny looks with each other, Eve blinks to focus. “Sure”, she says, fixing the bottom of her winter dress once more before leaving the desk. He is so manly commanding that her femininity dances happyly in her core.

“Um, I’m a gardener. Just in my house but it’s a passion of mines. I take care of my garden everyday which you can imagine is physically demanding for someone petite as me but I’m proud of my work if I can say so. I’ve cultivated many plants and flowers which attract all sort of butterflies. I bet you’d love that”, Eve sighs, stopping for a moment to appreciate the colorful picture in her mind. “They go crazy for daisies, I’ve noticed, but my favourite ones are the violets.”, she smiles, opening a gray unappealing door.

She has conducted them both close to the back entrance, in particular to the security man office. The room before them is dark; a small air vent on the wall, a desk with some left papers and McDonald’s burguer boxes are presented.

“Oh god, Jim needs to give life to this”, she says smiling forcefully in complicity to Asa, clearly showing she didn’t expect that scenario. “I hope you, doctor, don’t mind. He is never here unless he has lunch. That’s why I thought this would be a good place”, she says opening some sort of cabinet which is almost empty. “it’s supposed to have weapons inside I guess but this is a library, I mean, who would want to rob a library nowadays?”, She laughs. “I think he just has a gun with him and that is if it’s loaded. Here there’s only this thing and I don’t believe he’s going to use it”, she takes the large baton hanging on the cabinet door and shows it to Asa. “We can put the spider in here”, she suggests, now focused on the baton in her hands. “How do they even use this thing?”

Asa listens intently as she describes her garden, closely observing the way her eyes light up when she speaks of the butterflies. Yes, he had been right.

She would look beautiful with wings.

He follows as she leads him to an office. The door bangs shut behind him and he must keep from wrinkling his nose at the disorganization of the small office. He flashes a small smile, reassuring her he doesn’t mind the state of the office. He makes a mental note of everything she says relating to the security of the library.

And interesting setting, a library. Many places to hide, many more to set traps. He will think on this further.

When she offhandedly asks how to use the baton, Asa must take a moment to admire her innocence. He wonders how descriptive he should get? He suppresses a grin as he imagines the way her face would pale if he were to describe blunt force trauma, how it feels to splatter a person’s brains on the wall.

“It’s used for bludgeoning,” he comments, raising his hands to the empty cabinet and freeing the little spider. It scurries away to make a new home in a dark corner.

Asa turns to Eve, fully aware of how alone they now are. Time to see her squirm. Expirementally, he lets the Collector’s persona slip just a little, standing to his full height, pressuring her back against the desk with just the intensity of his gaze.

“Let me take you to dinner,” he murmurs. It’s a command, not a question, but he waits for her answer anyway. Best not to frighten her outright.

Not yet, anyway.

Eve watches Asa leave the spider in the cabinet. The initial smile while he does so, quickly disappears and turns into a nervous but pleasant heat running up her ankles to the back of her throat when he advances towards her. It’s amazing how a mere human gaze can be so powerful that the baton slips off of her hand when pressing her two palms onto the desk to steady herself leaving her, at the same time, completely disarmed. Maybe even willingly?

“Um… um… dinner?”. The initial excitement vanishes at the thought of Tomas Little, the ex-boyfriend that has become an abusive stalker. What would he do if he finds out? “I’m afriad I have.. I don’t…”, Eve sighs, looking into Asa’s eyes. When will she allow herself a chance to live a normal life again? “I’d love to, doctor.”, she smiles genuinely but still blushing like a rose. 

Asa notices her hesitance. He’s intrigued. Is she trying to play hard to get? Or is she hiding something?

Whatever it is, he’ll enjoy pulling it out of her.

He backs off, leaning against the wall and letting his mask slip back into place. He flashes a small grin, lips just barely twitching up at the corners.

“I’ll pick you up at 7.”

\--  
What a day. When Eve came back home, she could still feel her knees shaking slightly at his past proximity. His voice, his smell, his authority. She opened the door and looked around, somehow finding her house like the product of a dream. Eve tried to take a book as usual. She had two hours left and wanted to spend some time reading but since she was so anxious, the idea of sitting down was unappealing. Taking care of the indoor blue begonias instead, she started to think about the different scenarios were Tomas could come up. Was he going to follow them and appear at the restaurant? Was he going to make a scene and embarrass her? Was he going to attack her once she was back home? Did he already know the fact that Asa had invited her out?! Maybe a guardian dog was a good idea. If only the bigger ones didn’t freak her out…

She shook her head and went for a shower instead. Careful to come out of the bathroom perfectly groomed and smelling like violets, she went to the wardrobe to pick an outfit. Was this real? She was going to have a date with the incredible doctor? Wishing he didn’t have bad taste for an ordinary place, Eve picked a silky pastel blue dress with a ribbon on the waist part creating an illusion of an hourglass for her actual slender rectangular body. Oh, she was a beautiful girl. But her delicacy was the most appealing. The make-up was very light: just a subtle touch of brown eyeliner and pinkish lips. There was no need for blush; she knew she’d be blushing the whole night. Following her mother’s rules for clothing, she picked the pointy medium-heel black shoes. Now I’m gonna be a little taller than 5 feet, Dr. Height. 

By the time the clock is indicating ten minutes to seven, she is ready but also looking through the windows in case the ex-boyfriend is nearby. 

Asa arrives thirty minutes early, parking his vehicle down the street. He leans back in the seat, dark eyes surveying the surroundings as he memorizes land marks and house numbers. It’s habit, to familiarize himself with a location, to assess and plan before making himself vulnerable.

Something—someone—paces across the street from Eve’s house, hidden in shadow. Most likely, this person is male based on his build. Asa watches his steps with careful precision, memorizing the man’s gait. He crosses into a silver of moonlight and Asa notes how he anxiously glances at the girl’s windows before resuming his frantic pace back into the darkness.

Interesting.

Checking his watch, Asa starts the engine and pulls further down the street, parking in front of Eve’s home. He exits his vehicle, pretending not to notice the man but keeping his ears sharp should be decide to approach. He will have to press the girl for information on this mystery stalker.

At five minutes to seven, Asa curtly rapts his knuckles on the front door.

Despite her worries, the sudden image of Asa getting out of the vehicle catches Eve’s whole attention through the window. She moves away from it, not wanting to appear like she was waiting.

Glad that he arrived on time, she pulls from the bottom of her dress like the nervous tic she owns and opens the door.

“Hi, doctor”, she smiles. So much sweetness in her eyes while the slight wind moves some short blonde locks into her face. Tucking them behind the ear, Eve pays close attention to the man in front of her. Perfectly groomed and very well-dressed which, considering how Tomas used to present himself with ripped jeans and skate t-shirts, make Asa seem almost like a prince of some fairy tale. Almost too good to be true.

But the pale butterfly is even more surprised when he acts with full manners and opens the car door for her. Once inside the vehicle, Eve looks around. Not only it looks clean but also smells like it, maybe surgical steel aroma?

The smell is quickly overpowered by Asa entering the vehicle too from the other side and, honestly, his scent is even more charming. For a brief second she feels like one of those honey bees flying directly into a smooth field of pollen.

Eve looks outside one last time through the car window, trying uselessly to locate the possible presence of Tomas. However, the sound of the engine calls her attention back. She looks at Asa and smiles shyly. Hoping he doesn’t notice her worry, she tries to relax and fill the silence.

“I believe I haven’t seen a stereo like this one in a very long time”.

Asa fiddles with the dated stereo, complete with a cassette player, twisting the knob and changing the station from the news. Soft music croons through the speakers. He wonders how to answer, loath to bring up his past in any fashion.

Deeply, he inhales the scent of violets. “It was a gift from my father,” he replies simply as he pulls away from the curb. Glancing out the rear view mirror, Asa notes the mystery guest has vanished. “I hope you like Italian,” he adds to change the subject. 

“A man of taste”, she replies in regards to his father. She doesn’t mind vintage stuff; actually her dress ressembles the fashion of that period. But hers is more of a taste for Renaissance, especially with her beloved Shakespeare. “I like the idea, doctor Emory”, she replies, smiling inside, trying to control the blushing of happiness. Oh, she is a huge fan of Italian food, her own father influencing her own preferences in this case. “Questo è bellissimo”, she whispers to herself, looking subtly at him before fixing her gaze in the front. It is obvious he likes silence and, frankly, it gives her peace. 

Asa’s eye twitches at the mention of his father. He almost laughs. Good taste.

He crushes down the feelings any mention of his family beings, pushes them somewhere out of sight, out of mind. Instead, he focuses on the girl’s excitement at his mention of Italian cuisine. It was a lucky guess; most people enjoy a good bowl of pasta.

Asa remains silent for the remainder of the trip. Admittedly, idle conversation is not his strong suit. He wishes to save his questions for the restaurant.

When they arrive, Asa hands his keys to the valet before holding out his arm to Eve. The restaurant is dimly lit, intimate. He’s grateful they are seated at a corner table, away from prying eyes and ears. He has questions for her, mainly involving her past relationships. The lurking man must be addressed, but Asa will have to find a way to tactfully approach the subject.

Instead, he allows the girl to speak first.

Eve is more than happy that the man at his side is a true gentleman, holding out his arm for her. She still feels a little clumsy considering that with heels, she only reaches the pit of his stomach but Dr. Height doesn’t seem to mind.

The restaurant scenario is comforting. Modest but not ordinary, the subtle lightening only adding to the appeal. She looks at Asa’s face illuminated by the candles. He almost looks like a dreamed version of Romeo under the moonlight and, for a moment, she struggles to find words.

“I don’t know if you, doctor, have a particular preference but if I may suggest, I believe you’d enjoy Nobile Di Muntepulciano”, she says in regards to wine. “I don’t drink alcohol, though”, she smiles nervously fidgeting with the napkin on her lap. Initiating a conversation is not one of her strongest points either so she decides to be genuine about it: “I feel like people always make questions to fill the silence which sort of makes the other person obligated to respond. I could start with an assumption if that’s okay”, she looks into his eyes again, intimidating and charming like two marvelous black holes. “You feel safe in silence and in the darkness which is… almost poetic”.

Asa hums in approval of the wine selection. ‘I don’t drink alcohol though.’ He files that away; something else to be explored.

Her next words make him look up from the menu curiously. The flickering candlelight throws shadows across her face, exaggerating her delicate features. Asa takes in the pale softness of her skin, the curve of her lips, the way her doe eyes fix on his so earnestly.

He’d been expecting the typical ‘getting to know you’ chatter and had prepared for that: ‘What do you do, what are your hobbies, where did you grow up?’ What he had not been expecting is for the girl to be so…intriguingly observant. What else had she noticed?

Curiosity piqued, he teases, a small smirk curling at the corners of his lips, “I’ve never been accused of being poetic before.”

“William Shakespeare wrote: ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. You can be poetic for me but you can select another word if you feel it represents you better.”, Eve smiles. 

The waiter comes to take notes for their food and after he leaves, Eve turns back to Asa, curious about how he’d describe himself. 

He folds is hands on the table before him, leaning back in his chair in thought. There are many words he could use to describe himself: ‘Calculating, efficient, scientist, ruthless, powerful. Hunter,” but none of these choices are safe to discuss. Not at this point in time, anyway.

He chooses a broader term, one that could be open to many interpretations, “Curious.”

“That’s even more curious”, Eve giggled innocently. “I must admit I’m a curious person too, especially in regards to books. I always have to have something to read.”, she paused, anxiously paying attention if she sounded boring for him, used to Tomas’ ways. However, she was concious that Asa did seem to enjoy the entomology section. “How does curiosity and entomology work together?”

Asa considers her question, sipping pensively from his wine glass before responding, “I would say the root of science is curiosity. One cannot call himself a scientist and lack the desire to learn, to dissect something down to its most basic level, to peel back the layers and discover its secrets.

“Perhaps,” he continues, “It’s similar to how someone would read a book. As you turn the pages—peel back the layers—the plot is revealed to you. What do you think?”

“I’d say that may be a feasible principle to apply in life”, Eve smiled, loving his speech. He is a man of deep thoughts and reflections, almost sounding like a philosopher in front of her. “I believe that only happens with good books, though, because with some things, you already know what is inside them just by looking at their surface. I find that boring.” 

A sudden loud sound coming from the restaurante kitchen alerts the diners. 

“Just turn it off! I can’t keep watching that!”, a man’s voice, possibly the chef’s comes from there. 

“Shh it’s okay, just the news”, a feminine voice tries to shush him. 

“You’ve seen what I saw? A teenager and an old man. This fucking Collector freak went for them. What did a teenager an a poor old guy do to deserve that?”

Eve looks at the other people. They have all stopped eating, uncomfortable at the chef’s loud voice but also at the mentioning of the murderer and victims. One of them considers standing up to ask for silence but before he can do so, the chef’s voice is audible again: 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry people. Excuse my outburst. Please, keep enjoying your dinners. Next wine round is free”. 

Eve turns back the attention at Asa. She is slightly agitated at the loud voice and at the news like the others. 

“My god, what was that?….”, she whispers and sips some water.

Through the entirety of the chef’s outburst, Asa watches Eve’s expression closely. Fear, disgust, sadness; they all cross her face at the news. Carefully, he keeps his own expression passive before drawing his brows down in a frown to show concern.

Involuntarily, his eye twitches when the imbecile utters the word “Freak.” He’s never set up in a restaurant before. Might be an exciting challenge.

As Asa lets his gaze wander, taking in the other patrons’ horrified expressions, he recalls the victims. The elderly man hadn’t lasted long. Brittle, clumsy legs had snapped in a bear trap and he’d bled out shortly after. The teen had given him more trouble, but eventually he’d found his way to the trunk.

They all do.

“Are you alright? Do we need to leave?” Asa asks, leaning forward to grasp Eve’s trembling hand in an act of concern.

Eve feels the warmth and strength of his touch and immediately blinks, coming back to a more settle reality. She yelps, shaking her head to come out of the disgusting feeling that the news have left her with.

“I think it may be better if we leave”, she suggests, the aroma of food is no longer appealing.

Once back in the car, she nervously glances at Asa. The lump in her stomach is increased. Has she ruined the date being so sensitive? If that’s the case, at least she’ll try to be polite about the doctor’s time.

“I’m… I’m sorry for making us leave. Certain things just…”, she sighed, the violence announced by the tv only recalling the abusive ways of Tomas. “This… darkness… can’t make anyone feel safe”, Eve says metaphorically bringing the conversation they had a while ago back. “I mean, I don’t even like storms.”, she says in a chuckle trying to change the topic but god knows how much she fears them.

“No need to apologize,” Asa says simply, the steering wheel rolling under his calloused fingers as they round the corner. Internally, he bristles pleasantly at her words, at her fear. The cab is so thick with her trepidation, Asa wonders if he could reach out and grab it….

She’s sensitive, extraordinarily so. Is this natural for her, or a learned behavior? Again, Asa thinks back to the man pacing in the shadows near her home. Perhaps he had a hand in crafting her anxieties.

“I find storms to be soothing,” he comments as they pull up to the curb in front of her house. He doesn’t miss the twinge of unease in her voice. Covertly, Asa checks the darkness. He doesn’t spot the man from earlier, but that doesn’t mean he’s not there.

Switching off the engine, he slips out of the driver’s seat and moves around the car to open the passenger door. Again, he offers Eve his arm, intending to walk her to her front door.

Storms soothing? If only he knows how she’d stay awake and cover her entire head with the blankets every time the sky is raging. But yes, she was somehow right. The doctor belongs to the night or, at least, finds a safe place in what night poetically owns. Meanwhile, she is a flower of the day which finds joy under the sun that turns everything into gold. Maybe there’s a connection between them, something they both feel comfortable with, and it’s silence. That ability to talk and understand the other without saying a word although Eve’s understanding of Asa may be just the mere surface.

For her, he is still Dr. Jekyll and without any doubt she holds onto the arm presented at her. Once at the front door, she checks everywhere, not as succesful in being surreptitious as him, but still looking for Tomas. Since there seems to be no sign of him in the darkness, she turns to Asa again. Eve is not the type to invite a man in on a first date, most likely her mother and her strict rules about modesty and decency having influenced her own perspective of the world, but she hopes she can see him again at the library like alwayss, at another date or anywhere really.

“Thank you for this night, doctor”, she smiles like an angel. A pink shadow attacking her cheeks as she looks at him from so close. “Please take care. Part of the world has become pretty sinister. This Collector…”, she pauses to shake her head lightly trying to push away the chef’s voice narrating the victims. “I think we’ll both be safe, though. Who would want to kidnap library people? I mean, it’s not like he wants someone to read Shakespeare to him”, Eve giggled lightly attempting to make a joke that can leave him with a smile.

Asa notices the girl looking around in the dark, peering into the same shadows he’d searched when they arrived. This confirms his suspicions: The man from earlier is connected to her in some way. Estranged family member? Jilted lover, perhaps?

He pauses at her front door, bracing for the customary ‘Goodnight’ chit chat, but when she utters his handle, he must bite the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting. That name, his alter ego murmured in her sweet, little voice….

‘Who would want to kidnap library people?’

Oh, little butterfly, you have no idea.

The urge to seize her around the waist, haul her inside, mark every bit of her skin with his knife is nearly unbearable. Discreetly, he slides a hand in his pocket and curls his nails into his palm to ground himself.

Instead, he forces a chuckle at her little joke. Movements measured and controlled, Asa leans down, inhaling the scent of violets as he presses a chaste kiss to her blushing cheek.

“See you soon,” he promises, promptly turning on his heel and striding back to the car waiting at the curb.

Eve opens the house door and takes a moment to close her eyes and smile after closing it behind her with key. She brings her fingers to the cheek just where Asa placed his kiss. Her pose ressembles an antique doll sleeping or, in her case, daydreaming. She could feel her pulse accelerating, it took her by surprise but oh,how she loved it. 

The neighborhood is almost totally dark with the exception of a few lights from the porches so she decides to close the courtains and turn on her own lights from the entrance. Eve hesitates about going upstairs. She is certainly ready to sleep and rest her feet —although used to wearing heels, she walked in them all day since the library hours—. However, some tea is appealing to calm her vibrant state. She walks to the kitchen but in the middle of the dining room, someone comes from under the table and grabs her from behind, covering her mouth.


End file.
